New Police Unit Hits Target Area

July 23, 1995|By ROBIN BENEDICK Staff Writer

FORT LAUDERDALE — Several Fort Lauderdale neighborhoods ringing downtown have their own special police unit working around the clock to rid the area of prostitutes, drug dealers and other potential crooks.

For the past month, nine police officers and a sergeant have concentrated efforts in an area near Holiday Park that is bounded by Northeast Sixth Street on the south, the Middle River on the north, Northeast Fourth Avenue on the west and Federal Highway on the east.

The program is a new community policing initiative to put cops in neighborhoods so they can work closely with residents to solve problems. The neighborhoods getting special attention are Lake Ridge, Middle River Terrace, South Middle River, Poinsettia Heights and the edge of Victoria Park.

"We are hitting specific areas to try and address problems,' said Fort Lauderdale police Sgt. Mitch Van Sant, who oversees the new unit. "We hope to have this type of policing activity catch fire throughout the department, so that all officers would have time in all the zones to go out and address pet peeves in the area."

The unit has made 78 arrests for prostitution and drugs, and recovered a stolen car. They have set up checkpoints to stop cars, bikes and pedestrians, and tagged and towed abandoned vehicles and boats.

The Police Department hopes to expand the unit, made possible by a $1.2 million federal grant that led to the hiring of nine police officers, Van Sant said. The department shifted existing officers to the new unit.

Van Sant said residents in the target area filled out questionnaires of what crimes they wanted addressed. Their answers were drug sales, prostitution and robberies.

To that end, the unit conducted several sweeps that netted arrests of male and female prostitutes. The officers conducted undercover drug operations where they bought crack cocaine on the street. There have been 20 arrests and the confiscation of two cars and nearly $3,000 in cash. Efforts have been concentrated in the Lake Ridge neighborhood just north of Sunrise Boulevard.

"Whatever they're doing is working to send the message that we don't want drugs and prostitution anymore, said Ellen Sherman, a borad member of the Lake Ridge association.

Tim Smith of the Middle River Terrace Civic Association said an officer joined his group's weekly crime walks. He said his working class neighborhood has worked hard to get rid of crime, probably pushing some of it into Lake Ridge.

For the new unit to be truly successful, Van Sant said, homeowners should get to know their neighbors.

"You can have a block party or just introduce yourself to your neighbor," he said.